Normal
by Edokina
Summary: Yugi just wanted to get a normal job for the summer, to break up the monotony of saving the world. But when even that turns into a game with his soul on the line, it becomes apparent that Yugi is not destined to live a normal life.
1. Night 0

**Huzzah, it has begun! This is the challenge I took on as posted by** **Ryoko Ishida. She laid out the guidelines and I wrote something based on those. I'm almost finished, so I decided to post the first chapter. I'll start posting more as I iron out the ending and the rest of the chapters.**

 **And a special thanks to Ryoko Ishida for the idea! I hope you like what I've come up with!**

* * *

Yugi combed the wanted ads of the local paper with a highlighter, marking any summer jobs that looked interesting. He sighed when he realized he hadn't really highlighted anything, and repeated his conversation with Grandpa in his head again.

* * *

"Grandpa, I want a summer job." He announced in the doorway of the kitchen as Sugoroku prepared dinner. "Yugi, you always have a job here!" he chuckled in response.

"No, I mean a different job. I love your game shop, but I want to experience working other jobs too. Something more typical."

" _Typical?_ Why would you ever want typical, Yugi? Typical is so… boring."

Yugi fought the frown that threatened his face at the sound of his grandfather's sigh, "I would actually really appreciate boring right now. There's just been so much going on with the Millennium Items and saving the world… I just want to spend one summer as a normal teenager."

Sugoroku looked up from his pan and at his grandson, his face pained, "I'm so sorry, Yugi. That had not occurred to me. You deserve a summer of normalcy, if that's what you want. I wish you the best, and let me know if you want any help."

"Thanks Grandpa!" Yugi rushed in for a hug and snagged the newspaper off the dining table.

* * *

 _Everything here either wants skills I can't possibly have at my age or just isn't something I want…_

" _Well, what_ do _you want, Aibou?"_

Yami appeared beside him, peering over his shoulder at the paper.

" _I don't know… Fast food cook? Grocery store bag boy? Busboy? I'm trying to stay away from the register, I get plenty of that working for Grandpa. But I don't see ads for any of those here…"_

" _Hmm… I'm sorry, I don't see anything either. Perhaps you should take a walk around town tomorrow and ask around?"_

" _Yeah, you're probably right… I'll ask Grandpa for some tips and try to be impressive tomorrow."_ He folded up the newspaper when he reached the end and joined his grandfather for dinner.

* * *

Yugi got up early, showered, and put on a nice shirt and slacks for his job hunt. His grandpa told him to introduce himself to every manager he could meet directly, and he did so with his usual kindly demeanor. Most of them told him he was really nice, but he either did not have what they were looking for or had already hired their staff for the summer. A few took note of his number and said they would call him for an interview within the next week. Yugi thanked them and left happily each time.

Yugi grabbed a newspaper to read on his way home, hoping that wanted ads more tailored to the neighborhood might turn up more results. Most of these he had stopped by earlier, causing him to sigh.

He soon found himself back on the couch with his grandfather's copy of the help wanted section. This time he was able to highlight two jobs, which he called in right away. The first one was looking for summer help at Winter Wonderland, an ice cream shop Yugi and his friends stopped by every so often when they were in the area. The other was for a waiter at a diner simply called Mama's.

" _What about this?"_ Yugi heard Yami ask after he hung up the phone. He made his way back to the couch where Yami had a pointed phantom finger at an ad asking for a busboy, among other things, at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

" _Good eye, Other Me!"_ Yugi picked the newspaper back up and dialed the number.

* * *

"I'm still shocked you actually wanna work somewhere besides Gramps's shop, Yuug. You love games!"

"I know I love games, Jounouchi, and I'm going to love games the rest of my life. I'll probably even take over the shop. So is it really so bad that I just wanted a normal job for a teenager before I'm not a teenager anymore?"

"Yes. You could be a normal lazy teen like the rest of us," Jou answered before resuming his soda.

"Don't listen to him, Yugi, I think it's great that you want to try new things!"

"Thanks, Anzu. They say that experience builds character, right?"

"Right! That's why Jounouchi will never change!" She giggled.

"Hey! I've changed plenty over the last few months! We saved the world, after all!"

"Yeah, I'll be sure to call you if 'World Savior' ever becomes a paying profession," Anzu rolled her eyes.

"Ugh why couldn't it be? It's so much easier than trying to figure out what I should be doing for the rest of my life… I'm so jealous, Yuug."

"I'll hire you, Jou."

"And that's why we're best friends!" Jounouchi grabbed Yugi in a headlock and ruffled his hair playfully.

"I'm so happy for you, Yugi! Getting a different job, having a new experience! Even if it's boring or annoying you'll be better for it!" Ryou smiled.

"I dunno, I'm kinda with Jounouchi on this one, but if it makes ya happy then do your best, Yugi!" Honda gave him a thumbs-up.

"Thanks, guys! I'll call you as soon as I hear something!"

* * *

Each of Yugi's three interviews seemed to go better than the last. He asked Yami to let him focus on doing this alone, and so Yami stayed quiet. Yugi completely flubbed the one for Mama's, and applied what he had learned from it to the interview at Winter Wonderland. Finally the week concluded with his interview at Freddy Fazbear's, which couldn't have gone better than it had. Granted, the manager asked him if he could hold a dish bucket, had a short conversation to see how polite Yugi could be, and hired him on the spot based on only that. But Yugi wasn't going to complain, it was a simple, normal job he could do to meet new people and unwind from all the crazy.

He met up with his friends again the next day to celebrate.

"Good job, Yugi! My little cousin had a birthday party there once, they have a cool arcade," Honda responded to the news. "And being a busboy isn't so bad, you're not dealing with customers constantly!" Anzu added. Yugi replied, "Is that a good thing? The customers at the game shop are always so nice…"

"Yeah, but those are game shop customers. They respect you and your grandfather as shop owners. Restaurant customers are their own brand of evil."

"Ah… evil? After Pegasus taking my grandfather's soul, and Marik trying to take my puzzle and sealing people in the Shadow Realm, you're going to tell me that _customers_ are evil?"

"I said their own brand, I didn't say they were more evil. Just be careful, they're not always friendly."

"I think I can handle myself, Anzu. But thanks for the concern."

"Just remember not to let them walk all over you and be as nice as you always are, you'll be fine," Honda put his two cents in.

"I don't know how to do both of those things at the same time, Honda. I mean, I'm starting to figure it out, because of the other me, but he's always so mean about it. No offense, Other Me…"

" _None taken,"_ He replied, knowing that only Yugi could hear him. _"You only see it as mean because I'm clearly upsetting the other person. But they upset us first, I don't see why we should lie down and take that."_

" _I just hate upsetting people… even if they 'deserve' it, I'd rather just get out and let them think they won…"_

" _They did win."_

" _What? No way!"_

" _It depends on the situation, but most of the time they wanted you to leave. So they won."_

" _Well, that won't happen at work!"_

" _Of course not. And I'll be here if you need me, as usual."_

" _Thanks, Other Me!"_

"Have you thought about what you'll do with your first paycheck?" Ryou ventured when he noticed Yugi snapping out of his internal conversation.

"Well I've gotten paid before, so I hadn't really thought of it as anything special…" Yugi replied.

"Well that was money from your grandfather, like an allowance for doing chores. Your family _has_ to give you money if they want you to have any fun. But how much you earn and if they keep you around is completely dependent on you now! Isn't that exciting?"

"Huh, I hadn't thought of it that way… I'll probably just save it, though. Gramps practically pays me in Dual Monsters packs, so unless we decide to go somewhere that needs money I'll just stick it in my bank at home."

"C'mon, Yuug, reward yourself! Even if you just buy yourself a nice dinner or somethin'!" Jou laughed.

"Well, I guess if anyone's interested we could go to the amusement park…? That's always fun."

"I like it! At the end of the week we'll cash your first check and go! …Aw man, now I gotta come up with some money so I can afford to do more than just follow you guys around!" Jounouchi lamented.

"It's fine, Jou, we could do something el-"

"No no! That's what you wanna do, then we're gonna do it! I just gotta do enough odd jobs by the end of the week!"

"You want any help?" Honda offered.

"If I find any two-man jobs, you'll be the first to know!"

"Why don't you find your own job, Jounouchi?" Anzu asked, brow raised.

"I think you know exactly why, Anzu. I work on my own schedule, and that means sleepin' in 'til twelve because it's summer and helpin' strangers move in and out of their houses!" he laughed, and everyone laughed with him.

* * *

 **Hope you don't mind a slow start! All good scary things start off slow though. At least, I'm hoping it comes out scary... suspenseful at the very least. And thus, I bid you good night!**


	2. Night 1

Yugi showed up at work early in the uniform they had given him. They had asked him to leave his puzzle at home, as it did not fit into the dress code. The uniform was a t-shirt with a tuxedo pattern printed on it and a top hat, and his own slacks that he had worn to the interview. The top hat was huge to cover his hair, but it felt like it was resting on his hair more than his head even when Yugi tried to use gel to flatten it out. Upon seeing the bear on stage he realized he was supposed to vaguely resemble that, as the bear wore his own black bow tie and top hat. He also held a microphone, and looked like he could use a bath. His band mates didn't look much better in this regard, either. One of them was a large lavender rabbit wearing a red bow tie and holding a red guitar, the other was a yellow chicken with a bib that read "Let's eat!" and holding an oversized pink cupcake. The cupcake was a bit unnerving, as it had eyes of its own.

A manager different from the one that hired him showed him around the place, and let him know what he would be doing for the day.

"Just clean up after the guests when they leave their spot and set up plates for the next group. Ask the people next to the dirty dishes if it's okay to take them, just in case they're not done. It's pretty hard to tell since everyone has to share these huge tables, but just be nice when you ask and it'll be fine. Oh, and between dish runs make sure you put a load into the dishwashers so we'll always have more. The show times are posted near the stage, so if a guest doesn't see the sign you can either point it out to them or read it for them. Eventually you'll have it memorized and won't need to refer to it, the times don't change. And over here is Pirate's Cove, where we keep Foxy. As you can see, he's out of order. We haven't had a chance to call anyone to fix him, that's really all you need to know about him. Well, that and if you catch anyone trying to get in politely escort them away from him. Oh, I hadn't remembered to tell you the names of the guys that actually work. Freddy Fazbear is the bear, that one's probably obvious. But the other two are Bonnie the Bunny and Chica the Chicken. Any questions?"

"No, sir! Thank you!" Yugi nodded, and the manager smiled, "You're gonna do well here, Kid. Have fun!" he patted Yugi on the shoulder and with that, Yugi's shift officially began.

The day went pretty well. Yugi met a lot of his coworkers, and he even got into a few quick conversations with the customers. Most of them had a lot of fun, although as Anzu had warned him a few acted quite entitled and got offended when he tried to explain that he was just a new busboy, and he had no idea why their child was upset or didn't like their pizza or why the band couldn't be forced to start playing sooner.

He thanked his manager before he left for the day and happily walked home, the idea of the people he would meet the next day exciting him.

"Wanna play a game, Other Me?"Yugi asked once he got home and reunited with his puzzle. _"Why do you ask?"_ Yami replied. "Because you were home alone all day, I feel bad that you were stuck here with nothing to really do."

" _I'll be fine, Aibou, thank you."_

"No, no, I insist! Grandpa, do you have any new games you'd like to try out with Other Me?" Yugi called down the stairs from his bedroom after changing out of his uniform.

"Why of course, Yugi! Come and see what I've got this time!" Yugi rushed down the stairs and allowed Yami to take over. Despite his earlier protest, Yugi could sense that Yami was excited to see this new game, as he always was.

The next morning when Yugi got to work he realized that his coworkers were all huddled in the office for a meeting.

"Everyone here now? Good. The hire-ups are insisting that we hire a night guard. The other location got busted into, so we're basically stuck with putting someone else in that position until we can properly hire one."

"Ugh, that's so dumb! Make the new guy do it!" a tall blonde Yugi didn't recognize pointed at him. "Huh? No, I'm not guard material… I'm a total wimp," Yugi laughed, grateful that his small stature would back-up his statement and be helpful to him for once.

"Sorry Yugi, technically everybody here has seniority on you… Even if it's only by a few weeks at most… It'll just be for the week, tops. And you'll be in the office all night, there's the big ol' steel doors that'll keep you safe if you release the locks on them- that's what these switches are for. If anything happens, don't leave the office, just call 911 and the police will show up to take care of everything. The worst you'll be dealing with is some punk that thinks he can make a quick buck."

"Uhm, well, okay…" Yugi said as he stared at his feet. The steel doors made him nervous- what kind of break-in had happened that got those authorized?

"Thank you so much, Yugi! I'll make sure you get a raise for this. It won't be much, but most people don't get raises on their second day!"

"Yeah what the hell is up with that? Why don't I get one?" The same blonde girl complained.

"Because you don't go out of your way to help your coworkers when they need it. Now get to work," the manager motioned for everyone to leave. The manager stopped Yugi, "Yugi, go home and get some rest for tonight. You don't have to wear a uniform, but do wear this badge. And this hat, if you can manage it. I know your hair isn't fond of hats," he laughed a bit, "Thanks again, I'm so sorry to do this to you. Come back at midnight, the other manager is gonna get you all set up. You'll be off at 6AM. Good luck!"

"Yeah, thanks," Yugi forced a smile and left the office.

Yugi let Grandpa know what was going on as soon as he got home. His grandfather got upset at the idea, but Yugi assured him that nothing would happen and that he was fine with it, going as far as to say he actually volunteered since they needed someone so badly.

"You're much too nice, Yugi, bless your heart," he replied.

" _He's right."_ Yami replied once Yugi made his way upstairs.

" _I know, Other Me, I'm sorry. I'll develop a backbone at my next job."_

Yami paused, _"I'm sorry, Aibou… I know that this is just how you are… Forgive me for making that seem like a bad thing. You're a very good person, and it pains me to see you get taken advantage of."_

" _Thanks, Other Me. That's a much better way to put it. Let's have another look at our deck, then we'll have a nap and be off to work!"_

" _We?"_

" _Yeah, they said I don't have to wear a uniform, which means there's nothing stopping me from wearing the puzzle!"_

" _Then I'm glad something good came out of this after all," he chuckled._

It made Yugi nervous to be going to work in the dark, but knowing that Yami was with him made it a little better. He knocked on the glass door with his key to get the night manager's attention. The man opened the door for him, "Hey Yugi, ready for the graveyard shift?"

"Oh please don't call it that!" Yugi forced a laugh.

"Sorry. Ren and I are just about done closing up. You can hang out in the office, I'll let you know when we're leaving. Oh, and corporate knows they haven't sent us any training tapes for our night guards, the best solution they could come up with was to call you tonight. So answer the phone when it rings, listen to the training, and the rest of the night is yours!"

"Thanks, Aki," Yugi replied and made his way to the office. He decided to have a seat in the large swivel chair and wait for his coworkers to let him know they were on their way out.

Before he knew it, he was alone.

At midnight on the dot the phone rang, as Aki had said it would. Yugi picked up the receiver quickly, "Hello?"

"Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?

"Oka-" Yugi tried to respond, but the voice kept talking. He had forgotten it was a recording already.

"Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, 'Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced.'"

"Uhm… excuse me?" Yugi spoke his thoughts aloud, and before he had time to think more on it the voice continued. He didn't want to miss it by being distracted with his own thoughts so he just kept listening.

"Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay. So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh... Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?"

Yugi tried to ignore the alarm bells at this point, waiting for the message to end before he decided to see if they had actually remembered to lock the door.

"Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit."

Yugi's eyes widened in shock. He felt Yami twinge as well.

"Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area."

Yugi felt his face contort in horror.

"So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort... and death."

Yugi tried not to drop the phone at that statement.

"Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh."

"Don't laugh, you-!"

"Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night.

"Cameras?" Yugi looked around the office, trying to figure out what cameras. _"Who cares? Get out now, Yugi!"_ Yami scolded him harshly, _"This place is clearly unsafe. That or someone is playing a very sick joke on you. And you know how kindly I take to those…"_

"No penalty games, Other Me! But I'm sure you're right about the prank thing… that's just ridiculous… animatronics aren't advanced enough to be able to walk, they can barely even move their arms. Oh, this looks like a camera display," Yugi picked up a small portable monitor that had been lying face-down in a desk drawer. It displayed the main hall, looking very dim because most of the lights were turned off. There was a transparent map of the building with cameras labeled also visible on the monitor. Yugi poked them, no longer impressed with any new tech he came across after Kaiba made Dual Monsters look so real. The camera switched to the stage.

Bunny was gone.

" _Yugi, if Kaiba can make Dual Monsters real, then why wouldn't someone else be able to make animatronics that walk? Your reasoning is flawed, although I understand why you'd wish otherwise…."_

"You're right, Other Me… I wish you weren't, but…" Yugi flipped through the other cameras, finding the dining hall again. Yugi tried to remember the rabbit's name, he knew it was something stupidly similar to bunny. Bonnie, maybe? That's just what he'd have to call it for now.

Upon closer inspection he realized that Bonnie was hiding in the back of the dining hall, in the dark.

"We'll be fine… the phone call was just a stupid prank… They wouldn't actually do this to anybody! It's totally illegal!" Yugi laughed. He watched Bonnie wander off into the darkness and Yugi flipped to the camera to the hall by the bathrooms as the animatronic clumsily walked in and out of view. Yugi followed him throughout the building using the cameras, his heart racing faster as the bunny got closer to the office. Finally Yugi couldn't track him anymore. He quickly flipped on the hall light, to prove to himself that Bonnie had actually backtracked and wasn't right outside the office.

He had proved himself wrong.

Still filled with fear from the phone call, Yugi didn't want to risk the attack and shut the door quickly. In the corner of the screen on his monitor he could see how much power he had left, and how much he was using. "This is stuff that belongs in a game, not a security office! Why is the power limited? Is this place really doing that poorly after all?"

" _I don't know, Aibou. But you'd best get out of here as soon as possible."_

"I'd love to, Other Me, but the only exit is on the other end of the building. I didn't notice an emergency exit yesterday… I don't think I can sneak past them, either."

" _Then we're stuck here until 6AM."_

"I'm sorry… I can't even tell you to save yourself since you need my body, and you can't use it if the heart stops…"

" _Yugi you know you're worth way more to me than that! I don't want you to ever say anything so stupid again. We're going to get out of this the same way we came in. I'm going to have a look around, maybe I can find the emergency exit or something you missed."_

"Okay… I'll just keep watching these guys…" Yugi sighed, turning the hall light on again. He couldn't see Bonnie's shadow through the window, and so decided to open the door to save on power. He wondered to himself if they had actually designed this office with this awful job in mind…

Yami manifested himself spiritually and walked right through the door as Yugi opened it. Immediately he noticed some things that were not there when he and Yugi had entered. For one, the hall was suddenly a mess. As if the janitor had not bothered to come by yet. Papers littered the floor, along with old soda cups and large, shiny stars. Looking up at the walls Yami noticed that the stars must have fallen off the streamer of stars that lined the hall. He also noticed a poster of Freddy that read "Let's Party!" and the wall to the right was covered in children's drawings. Some seemed innocent enough, but most of them had the animatronics drawn on them. All of the animatronics had their eyes colored in black, with small white pinpricks indicating which direction they were looking in.

Yami made his way to the janitor's closet. There seemed to be nothing special inside, so he continued down the hall. He took note of the stains in the carpet, another thing that he couldn't recall from before. The hall opened up into the dining area. Yami spotted Bonnie at the far end of the room, but being a spirit Yami knew he couldn't do anything about it, and also couldn't be caught by it. He prayed Yugi was alright and continued to survey the room. The other two animatronics were still on the stage, and to his left was a large purple starry curtain and a sign that read "Sorry! Out of Order." Suddenly he heard someone singing nonsense words, and he curiously decided to poke his head into the curtain. He saw an old, broken fox animatronic with an eye patch and a hooked hand.

The singing suddenly stopped.

Yami quickly decided to return to Yugi and walked back down the hall at a brisk pace. On this second trip he caught sight of the "Let's Party!" poster again. This time he could swear he saw a yellow Freddy with black eyes in the poster, but after doing a double take it was still brown Freddy inviting him to party. He shrugged it off and went back to Yugi.

" _How are you holding up?"_ He asked just as Yugi closed the door behind him.

"Did you really not notice that!?" Yugi gave him a terrified look.

" _Notice what?"_

"Bonnie, staring at you! Following you all the way back here!"

" _What? No, I didn't hear a thing… Well, I did hear some singing. But I don't know who was doing it. I'm going to have a look at the other side real quick, I'll be right back."_

"Please hurry… I don't like being alone here…"

" _Of course. I can always be back here in a flash if you need me,"_ Yami smiled, and exited the other side of the office.

This hall was in a similar messy state. Instead of a poster Yami found a list of rules for the pizzeria.

RULES FOR SAFETY

1\. Don't run.

2\. Don't yell.

3\. Don't scream.

4\. Don't poop on floor.

5\. Stay close to mom.

6\. Don't touch Freddy.

7\. Don't hit.

8\. Leave before dark.

Thank you,

Management

" _Leave before dark?" That's an odd rule for a place that closes at 9PM…_ Yami thought to himself. He turned to the rest of the hall and was taken aback by the three posters of a child, tears streaming from his large black eyes like waterfalls. They looked as though they had been drawn by the same children who put up the pictures in the other hall. Yami continued once again into the dining area. He didn't see Bonnie there this time.

Just then he heard a ruckus in the kitchen, the sounds of pots and pans being banged together like a toddler who just discovered that the cookware can double as drums. He rushed to the kitchen, but unlike the rest of the building the kitchen was completely dark. Yami had no control over the light switch, even if he knew where it was. He knew wandering in would do him no good, so he decided to once again return to Yugi.

" _No exit over here either. I'm sorry. It looks like we're stuck until 6 after all."_

"I- it's fine, Other Me… Uhm… Everything looks different. I know you saw that, you were out there, but it's really freaking me out… It suddenly looks like nobody's been here in years."

" _Yes, I'm definitely starting to get the sense that we're not the only ones who don't wish to be here."_

Yugi didn't respond. A concerned Yami placed a translucent hand on his partner's shoulder, _"We're going to survive this, Yugi."_

Yugi remained silent for another moment before finally speaking, "So you're saying… maybe… it's haunted?" _"That's my only guess at this point. I don't know why else someone would make killer animatronic robots for children."_

"I… think the ghosts might _be_ children…"

" _Hm? Why?"_

"This poster in the hall… 'Kids vanish at local pizzeria- bodies not found. Two local children were reportedly lured into a back room during the late hours of operation at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza on the night of June 26th. While video surveillance identified the man responsible and lead to his capture the following morning, the children themselves were never found and are presumed dead. Police think that the suspect dressed as a company mascot to earn the children's trust.' That's awful! How could anybody do that?"

" _I saw no such poster…"_ Yami looked over Yugi's shoulder at the monitor, and sure enough there was a poster-sized newspaper clipping where the rules poster once hung. _"Not five minutes ago that was a rules poster… They can change their environment quickly."_

"Other Me, that's not the point! There's _children_ haunting this place! We need to figure out how to free them!"

" _Yugi, that's incredibly dangerous… I don't see any spirits surrounding them, which can only mean that they're so lost in these robots that they don't even remember being human. We can't reason with them."_

"No, but… we can play a game… I know you've used your penalty game for exorcism before…"

" _Play a game, with killer animatronics? Are you mad? If we lose, we'll die!"_

"No, only I'll die! You'll be safe in the puzzle, I mean it'll suck but you can find someone else who can help you-"

" _I thought I told you not to say anything so stupid ever again?"_

Yugi cringed when Yami shouted at him, and Yami sighed. _"You're too important to me. I don't want anyone else's help. We're partners."_

"I'm sorry, Other Me… if you don't want to help them, then I'll just survive until morning and we'll go find an exorcist first thing."

Yami sighed, _"If you're going to be that insistent… I'll help you._ _But you have to promise me that when the game starts, if we lose, you won't try to take my place."_

"What?"

" _I can set up a Shadow Game that will risk my soul rather than your body. But you must promise that if we lose, you will let my soul go, and you will get out of here and live the normal life you should have had all along."_

"What? No, Other Me, I can't let you-"

" _What would be the point in saving me?"_

"You're my best friend! I'll do anything to-"

" _I'm dead, Yugi. I'm a spirit that essentially haunts the ancient artifact you carry with you everywhere. The only difference between me and them is I still have my sanity. But you, you're still alive. And I need to know that you'll try to live that life, even if something happens to me."_

"I… but…" After a moment, Yugi sighed. "I can't be as nice as everyone says, I'm willing to risk my best friend's existence to save some kids…" He held his face in his hands.

" _Because you know I can win, right?"_ Yami laughed.

"I know it's 99% likely that you'll win, but that 1% has me scared out of my mind…"

" _It's alright. Just leave it to me!"_ Yami gave his trademark thumbs-up and wink before spiriting himself out of the room again. He tracked down Bonnie. Now that he took a good look at him, without the camera, he could see a distinct dark shadow cast over the animatronic. Bonnie looked straight into Yami's eyes when he spoke, _"Bonnie! I challenge you to a Shadow Game! If you can catch me before 6AM, you win, and my soul is forfeit. However, if I survive then I shall release your spirit from this place and you'll be free to pass on as you should have!"_

Bonnie began to twitch and groan. Before Yami realized what was happening he was back in Yugi's body in the office.

" _What happened?"_ Yugi asked, now as the ethereal one.

"I believe that he accepted. I am unsure as to whether it was him or the shadows, but somehow it was decided that I must be constrained to your body. I'm sorry, Aibou."

" _I don't mind one bit! I know you can do this! By the way, check for Chica before you open the right door. I don't know if she got reset when the game began, but she was there last I knew…"_

Yami reached over and flicked the hall light on. Chica was indeed staring at him from the window. "It seems that it was also decided that his friends would not be excluded from the game… However I don't know if that means if we're caught by anyone other than Bonnie if we'll lose the game and my soul or… get stuffed into a suit."

He felt Yugi stifle a shudder, _"That's fine, you won't lose!"_

Yami nodded. Checking the clock, he realized he only needed to survive for about another two hours and forty-five minutes. He flicked the light back on, then opened the door when Chica was no longer there. There was still plenty of power left, so he took a deep breath and tried to figure out their pattern.

Yami also kept his ears sharp, knowing that the clumsy animatronics could try to sneak around all they wanted- their joints still creaked and their footsteps still fell heavily. Freddy remained on the stage all night. After the forty-five minutes had passed Yami felt that he had a good grasp on their pattern.

Which only made the pat-pat-pat-pat in the left hall all the more terrifying. He quickly shut the door before wondering who had made the noise. Checking the hall camera, the fox he had seen earlier was sprinting towards the office. Both he and Yugi jumped at the banging on the door, suddenly worried about the door giving in. It stayed strong, however, and it didn't take long for the knocking to stop. Yami checked the camera that watched the fox, the curtain was closed on his stage.

" _They told me Foxy isn't working!"_ Yugi said, shocked. "He seems to be working fine now. Either he's out of order for being homicidal or he only works when he's inside this ghostly pizzeria."

" _I guess that makes sense… if it was the first thing then they'd_ all _be out of commission…"_ Yugi sighed.

"I will keep an eye on him as well from now on. Now where is-" Yami quickly flipped on the right hall light, and followed it up with the door switch when Chica was illuminated in the window. Her open, toothy mouth startled Yugi every time, she looked even more lifeless with no attempt to keep it shut.

Yami found his new rhythm, and even though they were both on edge the entire time the rest of the night went off without a hitch. There was one more occurrence of the "Let's Party!" Freddy poster changing into a yellow Freddy, but Yami flipped through it so fast that it was gone when he went to double check. He hoped it was nothing.

Almost as suddenly as the night began, it ended. As Yami flipped through the cameras he noticed that everything looked cleaner. He found his adversaries on the show stage, and set the monitor down to make his way there. He waved his hand and shouted, "Penalty Game!" which activated his ancient power. The Eye of Wdjat opened on both of their foreheads, and Yami watched as Bonnie glowed with a familiar gold light. As they had suspected, a ghostly child emerged from the suit, and was only able to say "Thank you!" before soaring skyward. The lights in the building suddenly switched on, as if coming off of emergency power. The atmosphere already felt much lighter.

" _You did it, Other Me! I'm so proud of you!"_ Yugi gave Yami an ethereal hug as Yami sighed, "Don't celebrate just yet… There's still at least one more child to take care of…"

" _At least? The article said there was only two!"_

"Yeah, well, Foxy's behavior would lead me to believe otherwise…"

" _I hope not… I really don't want to have to stay a third night…"_

"We'll see, Aibou. Let's clock you out and get home."


	3. Night 2

Dread suddenly overtook Yugi. He jumped up and grabbed his bedroom door, holding it shut with all of his might. He heard something mechanical behind him, and realized that the large steel door at the other end of his room was wide open. He flicked the light switch, and Chica appeared in the window beside it. But the door switch was all the way on the other end of the room, and if he let go he knew Foxy would get in through the door he was currently holding. He finally decided to make a break for the switch, but it was too late. Chica ran inside and-

Yugi awoke in a cold sweat. He took a moment to catch his breath before getting up for a glass of water. When he returned, Yami had manifested himself on Yugi's bed, _"Yugi, are you sure that you can do this?"_

"Of course! Everything's going to be fine! You'll beat Chica tonight and then this whole thing will be nothing but a bad memory!"

" _Alright. I can't say no to that determination of yours,"_ Yami smiled before disappearing into the puzzle once more. Yugi crawled back into bed, vaguely wondering how he was able to have nightmares in the middle of the day.

* * *

Despite his earlier determination, Yugi hesitated outside of the pizzeria. When he felt he had summoned enough courage, he pulled out his key and knocked on the glass again. After a moment he saw Ren come into view and open the door for him, "Hey Yugi! How was your first night?" "Oh, well, you know… Nothing special."

"Well sometimes we all need a dose of that. We haven't had any qualified applicants yet, but it's already been decided that if we can't find anyone by the end of the week Aki will step in for you."

"Really? Thanks!" Yugi replied, wondering if he would even want to work here after the children were all freed.

"Alright, well you get settled in, we're about to take off. They said they'll call you for part two of your training, so don't let the phone scare you!"

 _It's not the phone, so much as what the guy on the other end says…_ "Thanks!"

And with that, Yugi was left alone again until his phone call came in. He considered not even picking it up. Right as he reached to pick it up, it went to the answering machine. "Uhh, Hello? Hello? Uh, well, if you're hearing this and you made it to day two, uh, congrats! I-I won't talk quite as long this time since Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses. Uhh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place." _Are you friggin…_ Yugi didn't bother finishing his thought before picking up the monitor. "You know... Uh... Interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often. I heard he becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so, hey, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power, right?"

"Because I needed another reason."

"I-I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights. There are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be right outside of your doors. So if-if you can't find something, or someone, on your cameras, be sure to check the door lights. Uh, you might only have a few seconds to react... Uh, not that you would be in any danger, of course. I'm not implying that."

"You sure seemed keen on implying it last night…"

"Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove from time to time. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess he doesn't like being watched. I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure you have everything under control! Uh, talk to you soon."

" _Now_ you tell us!" Yugi sighed. _"You seem to have an attitude tonight, Yugi. I kind of like it,"_ Yami chuckled.

"The nerve of this guy! He's not here, so I shouldn't have to pretend to put up with it…" he pouted before checking the cove.

" _Are you ready to start the game?"_

"As I'll ever be…"

" _Then I'm going to go start it."_ Yami once again walked in his spirit form towards the show stage. Nobody had left their post yet.

" _Chica! I challenge you to a Shadow Game! If you catch me, my soul is forfeit! If I survive the night, then I will free you from this hell on Earth!"_

Chica twitched just as Bonnie had the previous night, and groaned and choked until Yami found himself sucked back into Yugi's body.

" _Welcome back!"_ Yugi smiled from within the puzzle.

"Thank you. I hope this goes smoothly." Yami replied as he picked up the monitor. The first thing he noticed was that Bonnie was already gone.

" _Wait, Bonnie was freed! How is he playing?"_

"He shouldn't be, there's no soul in there anymore… perhaps it is simply the animatronic's free roam mode."

" _I hope you're right…"_

"Me too."

It took half an hour for Chica to finally get off the stage. Bonnie had been wandering around aimlessly, but Yami kept an eye on him regardless. He tracked Chica to the black kitchen before checking on Foxy, who was still asleep in his cove.

Chica spent a lot of time in the kitchen before wandering back to the bathrooms. Yami once again checked on Foxy, then went back to Chica. She had moved into view of the camera in the east hall, where she twitched and moaned as she had when she accepted the challenge. It really creeped the both of them out. Yami watched her for a bit before he decided to check on Freddy.

Freddy was staring directly at the camera, and it caught him off guard.

He checked on Chica and closed the door for a bit when she got too close, then continued to flip through the rooms. He finally came to the conclusion that Bonnie simply was wandering around aimlessly, and stopped trying to monitor him closely. This allowed him to focus on the other three.

At about 4AM, Freddy had disappeared. Yami flipped through the cameras, but couldn't find him anywhere. He shut both of the doors and analyzed each room carefully. After about fifteen minutes, he realized that Freddy was hiding in the darkness of the girl's bathroom, nothing but two pinpricks staring at him in the darkness. Yami sighed and released the door after he checked for Chica.

" _Yugi, are you alright? You haven't said a word all night."_ Yami thought to his partner, not wanting to make any more noise than necessary.

" _I'm fine! I don't want to break your concentration. You seem to have this down to a science."_

" _So far. Freddy threw me for a loop for a bit there. I don't like having to search the dark for those beady eyes of his…"_

" _Oh Other Me! The poster changed again! Can we read it?"_

" _Yes, but please hurry…"_

"' _Local Pizzeria Threatened with Shutdown over Sanitation- Local pizzeria, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has been threatened again with shutdown by the health department over reports of a foul odor coming from the much-loved animal mascots. Police were contacted when parents reportedly noticed what appeared to be blood and mucus around the eyes and mouths of the mascots. One parent alikened them to "reanimated carcasses."' So… you think the kids… were stuffed into the suits?"_

" _They must have been."_

" _But… then they've always been homicidal, even without being haunted?"_

" _It's more likely that whoever kidnapped the children hid them in the suits. Perhaps after this shutdown threat they took the suits apart and discovered the bodies."_

" _But then they would have gotten a proper burial and we wouldn't be here!"_

" _Perhaps… Unless they felt they had a reason to remain here…"_

" _R- really?"_

" _That's typically what it is. But since they can't exactly speak I have no way of knowing for sure."_

" _Of course… Uhm, I'll let you get back to it. Sorry to interrupt."_

" _It's fine, I'm keeping up with them."_

Just then Yami slammed his hand against the left door switch, which was followed by the loud banging sound that signaled that Foxy was upset that he'd missed his chance.

" _G- good one!"_ Yugi stuttered. Yami nodded in response, and continued his routine.

Yugi watched the clock in anticipation. 5:59AM. They were so close!

Just then, all the power in the building went out.

" _I'm sorry Aibou… all that power wasted looking for Freddy may have caused my demise."_

" _Other Me, no! You can't give up yet! Hide under the desk!"_

Yami shrugged and obliged, knowing it couldn't hurt.

He watched as Freddy poked his head in the left door, his face glowing to the tune of a song that neither of them had heard before. Yami sat as calmly as he could, having accepted his fate and wanting to put on a brave face for Yugi. Yugi, however, hugged him as tightly as he could in his ethereal form.

Just as suddenly as the lights had gone out, Freddy stopped. He simply left the room. Yami crawled out from under the desk after another moment, and poked his head out the door. The hall was clean again. They had left the witching hours.

Yami found Chica in her usual spot on stage. He raised his hand and aimed it palm-out at her, "Penalty Game!"

Just as before, they were both engulfed in light as the Eye of Wdjat graced their foreheads and released the child from the Chica animatronic.

" _Good job, Other Me! Let's go celebrate!"_

"Sure, Aibou. Just remember… we're not finished yet… so take it easy."

" _Y- yeah… I really didn't want to think about it…"_

"I'm sorry. Don't think about it for now, then. Let's see if our friends are available before we get some sleep."

" _At this hour? They'll all be dead asleep…"_

"Well, you need them, so they'll get up." Yami responded as he pulled Yugi's phone out of his pocket.

" _What're you gonna tell them?"_

Yami stayed silent until someone answered the phone, "Anzu, I need you to drag everybody out of bed. I've had a hell of a night at work and I just really need my friends right now."

" _Other Me! That sounds so desperate and sad!"_

"I didn't? I'm sorry, I guess I forgot. It got kinda forced on me. I wanted to help, and they said it'd be easy. I'll explain more later. Thanks, Anzu. I really appreciate it," he pressed the end call button, "She's gonna get Jou and Honda and meet us at that crepe place up the street. Let's go grab a seat."

" _Oh man! I forgot to tell them that they moved me to night shift… Was she mad?"_

"Surprised, but not mad."

" _I hope Jounouchi and Honda won't be mad… Also, can we agree not to tell them about what actually happens here? If we do they'll force us to let them help, and I can't risk that…"_

"Of course."

* * *

"Yugi, what the hell!? Why didn't you tell us that you got stuck on the night shift?" Jou shouted before he even made it to the table Yugi sat at. "I'm sorry, Jou, I forgot… everything happened so quickly. They suddenly needed a night guard, and I'm the newest… They said they'd let me off the hook by the end of the week, though." Yugi replied shyly.

"Gaaah, I'd like to give your boss a piece of my mind!" He pushed his sleeve up his arm as he balled his hand into a fist.

"It's fine! I'm fine! I just have to get used to it. Nothing happens, but it's really creepy sitting there alone all night!"

"Alone? The other you isn't with you?" Questioned Anzu.

"Of course he is, but I mean, I'm the only body… it's weird…"

"Well you don't have to think about it now! We're gonna have some breakfast, and then we're gonna hit up the arcade!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"Thanks, guys."

After a few hours at the arcade Yugi announced that he should get some sleep for his next shift. His friends walked him home before walking themselves home. Yugi was out as soon as he hit the pillow.

* * *

No matter how much he ran, Foxy was always right behind Yugi. The hallway just kept stretching out in front of him. Suddenly he ran into something hard, and when he looked up all he could see were two white pinpricks in the darkness, and when he turned around Foxy was standing over him with his hook hand raised.

Yugi sat up quickly in bed, breathing heavily and clutching his chest. He had his water ready on his nightstand this time, and drank half the glass before lying back down. _"Another nightmare?"_ Yami asked him. "Yeah… I'll be okay. I just need to relax."

" _Alright… just two more nights, Aibou."_

"Wait, two!? I thought Foxy was the only one left?"

" _Freddy was coming after us too. Even scarier, he only seemed to pop up in the dark. It was hard to find him much of the time."_

"Oh… I'm sorry, Other Me…. Are you sure you want to keep doing this? We can give up now if you want…"

" _You'd always be thinking about them. I'm not sure if they're all children, but Bonnie and Chica were. And even if the remaining two aren't, they are still people."_

"Yeah, but we might be in over our heads here…"

" _We handled Bonnie and Chica, we can handle two more. Foxy doesn't even move so long as I keep an eye on him."_

"If you think you can finish this, then I believe in you! You're so brave."

" _I'm just doing what is right. And I'm only able to because you're with me."_ Yami smiled.

"Thanks, Other Me. I am _so_ excited for the amusement park when this is all over!"

" _Me too, Aibou."_

* * *

 **Sorry I haven't updated in an eternity. My computer was acting up a bit. Better now though, I'll try to finish putting it all up before it goes back on the fritz!  
**


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